Company encourages ‘green’ evolution at largest manufacturing plant in Asia

TIANJIN, China, March 16, 2010 – On March 12, Chinese Arbor Day, PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) planted trees at its Tianjin facility during an event themed “Make Our Plant Green.” Additionally, the company is investing US$10 million to increase production of waterborne coatings at the plant. These efforts are helping PPG to move ahead with its “green” evolution.

On the wall of an office building designated for Capacity Expansion Phase I, a red banner on a green background reads “Make Our Plant Green.” Employees from all departments volunteered to plant trees. Visiting for the event were Mr. Xu Xiuchun, chairman of Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Ms. Hu Xiaohuan, director of TEDA EPA. After a short ceremony, they planted the first tree along with Kevin Ni, PPG China operations director, coatings. This activity marked the beginning of environmental protection at PPG Tianjin in 2010.

In April 1994, PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. was officially set up in TEDA. For more than a decade, PPG has provided coatings of superior quality and high performance to the Chinese market. The company has also demonstrated its dedication to the development of new products. Sales for PPG in China have increased by double-digit percentages annually in recent years, and employees have increased from a few dozen to more than 1,000.

PPG’s largest coatings plant in Asia, PPG Tianjin has strived for energy efficiency from the start. The company conducted an energy-saving evaluation even before establishing the plant. An intelligent frequency converter controls the operation of wind turbines, pumps and production equipment, while an intelligent building control system manages the heating and ventilation system. Also, in 2008, PPG set a strategic plan for the redesign of facilities, stressing greater energy efficiency. Savings from those measures at PPG Tianjin include RMB 600,000 from network integration of the energy center, RMB 200,000 from recovery of steam condensate, RMB 70,000 from a Transformer Reactive Power Compensation Scheme, and RMB 20,000 from the reengineering of lighting in the facility.

PPG has completed the network integration of a compressed-air system, reducing the amount of equipment in operation and improving efficiency and safety while ensuring normal production. Moreover, PPG involves all staff in energy-saving activities with professional management, such as efforts to improve productivity and optimize facility use based on capacity needs. It is estimated that energy-saving efforts will achieve a savings of RMB 250,000 on energy costs. An energy-efficiency standard is strictly implemented in the PPG Tianjin office, while the workshop must comply with criteria on temperature, humidity and ventilation.

From the energy-saving activities throughout the plant, the capacity expansion of waterborne coatings, the release of an annual report on environmental protection efforts and the tree-planting event, PPG Tianjin is accelerating its “green” evolution on all levels.

About PPGPPG Industries’ vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Founded in 1883, the company serves customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2009 were $12.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.